The Council on Science and Technology promotes the development of courses in science and engineering for students concentrating in humanities and the social sciences. In this video professor Bonnie Bassler, above, talks about the council's mission to give Princeton students access to the tools needed to become scientifically literate.

Video stills courtesy of Danielle Alio

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Video feature: 'Council on Science and Technology'

Posted June 17, 2013; 12:00 p.m.

by Els Paine, Council on Science and Technology

At the intersection of Princeton's roles as a research institution and a liberal arts college, the Council on Science and Technology promotes the development of courses in science and engineering for students concentrating in humanities and the social sciences.

This video highlights the council's mission to help ensure that all Princeton students graduate as scientifically literate citizens able to assess the technological and scientific issues of the day.

The council includes a faculty committee that oversees the science and technology courses that Princeton undergraduates take to fulfill their general education requirements, and the faculty members hail from the sciences and engineering as well as humanities and social sciences. Naomi Leonard, the Edwin S. Wilsey Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has been appointed chair of the council, replacing Bonnie Bassler, the Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology. President Shirley M. Tilghman is also a previous chair of the council.

The council promotes the development of science and engineering courses that have no prerequisites, are appropriate for all students, provide high levels of student engagement, and offer a direct application to societal issues. When considering suggestions from faculty and students for new course offerings, the council looks for classes that will have broad appeal and that combine science, technology and everyday life.

The council's other activities include hosting seminars on the teaching of science, awarding the Pope Prize for Science Writing, and sponsoring the annual Evnin Lectures featuring prominent scientists on topics of interest to the general public. The 2013 Evnin Lecture, to be held Oct. 14, will feature a talk by John Bravman, president of Bucknell University, titled "Intellectual Property and Courtroom Sciences: It's Not CSI."